CMA CGM lifts Asia–Med FAK rates to $7,100 per box for North Africa

CMA CGM will charge US$7,100 for a 40-foot container from Asia to North Africa from November 1 — the ceiling of a fresh FAK tariff that resets Asia–Mediterranean pricing across five destination groups for a two-week window ending November 14, 2026.

The Marseille-based carrier published the revised Freight All Kind rates alongside a pair of new surcharges: a US$150 per container peak season surcharge from the west coast of South America, effective November 1, and a €150 per TEU charge from Northern Europe to North Africa from November 7. Not a quiet week on the rate desk, then.

What do the new Asia rates look like?

The FAK table climbs as you move east and south along the Mediterranean:

• West Mediterranean: US$3,900 / US$4,900 (20ft / 40ft & 40ft HC)
• Adriatic: US$4,000 / US$5,000
• East Mediterranean: US$4,200 / US$5,200
• Black Sea: US$4,200 / US$5,200
• North Africa: US$5,300 / US$7,100

The spread is worth noting. A 40-foot box to North Africa costs US$2,200 more than the same box to the West Med — a 45% premium, which tells you where CMA CGM thinks capacity is tightest and demand most inelastic.

The rates cover dry, refrigerated, out-of-gauge and paying empty containers. The all-in figure includes basic freight, bunker-related surcharges, Emissions Trading System charges and Low Sulphur Surcharges. Terminal handling charges, safety and security fees, and other local levies sit outside the quote and will land separately on the invoice. Shippers should read that last clause carefully; the headline number is rarely the final number.

What does this change for shippers and forwarders?

For cargo owners with November bookings ex-Asia, the answer is straightforward: budget against these numbers now. A two-week validity window means bookings gated after November 14 face a fresh reset, with no guarantee the next filing moves down. BCOs with annual contracts will want to check whether their rates are FAK-linked before assuming immunity.

Forwarders working Mediterranean strings should also note the parity between East Med and Black Sea pricing at US$4,200 / US$5,200. Identical figures suggest the carrier is managing both regions as one capacity pool rather than pricing them on separate fundamentals.

Surcharges stack on two more lanes

From November 1, CMA CGM applies a US$150 per container PSS on dry cargo from the west coast of South America. The scope is broad: shipments to the east coasts of Central America and Mexico, the Caribbean, the Leeward and Windward Islands, and the east coast of South America. It also reaches long-haul — cargo bound for Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand is caught in the same net.

A week later, on November 7, a €150 per TEU surcharge takes effect from Northern Europe to North Africa. This one covers all cargo types, with two carve-outs: Spain and Portugal are excluded at origin, Morocco excluded at destination. Roughly US$160 per box at current rates — modest per unit, but it compounds across a lane where European exporters already juggle ETS costs and a soft intra-Med rate environment.

The carrier adds that bunker, terminal handling and other applicable charges may still apply on top of the PSS measures. The surcharge, in other words, is a floor, not a ceiling.

The read-through

Three filings in one announcement signals a carrier testing how much pricing power the market will hand back as peak season rolls in. The Asia–Med FAK window is the sharp end — US$7,100 per 40-footer into North Africa is a level that will squeeze margins for anyone quoting fixed prices to North African consignees.

Whether the November 1–14 window holds or extends with higher numbers is the question importers should now be asking their carriers. On current form, CMA CGM has given itself room to re-file.